Welcome to Year Two

Teacher: Mr Bennett

Learning Support Assistant: Ms Oetting

Welcome to Year 2

A warm welcome to our Year 2 class page. We hope you are ready for lots of fun learning and hard work. Our topics this year are: The Great Fire of London, Kings and Queens, Planet Earth, People who made a Difference and Life in Kenya.

For Summer half term 1 PE will be on Wednesdays. Children will need outdoor PE kit.

Please revisit this page throughout the year for regular updates, useful links and important information. You can also see all of your fantastic learning being celebrated on here! 

Remember that we are always achieving excellence together with God's love!

Our Learning

Music - using percussion instruments to create a soundscape

Geography - using maps and globes

Y2 used maps and globes to investigate the five oceans on Planet Earth. Can you name the five oceans?

DT - structures

Y2 are designing Baby Bear's Chair. This week we tested the stability and strength of different 3D shapes. Which was the most stable?

RE 

Y2 have been looking at the reasons for signs and symbols used at Baptism. We finished our topic with a class assembly using the symbols and thought about how we could keep the flame of faith alive in our hearts.

RSE - Learning about money

We used the Picture News reel to discuss the importance of money.

History

What a fabulous visit we had to Conisbrough Castle today as part of our Kings and Queens history topic. We learnt all about the jobs in a medieval castle and how to prepare for a visit from the king and queen. Then we went almost to the top of the keep. Take care on that spiral stone staircase!

Numeracy - measure

This half term we are learning to measure in metres and centimetres.

Art

Y2 completed their art project, Map it Out!, by creating prints using small sections of their maps. We made a printing tile by carefully pressing our design onto polystyrene with a blunt pencil. Then we used ink and rollers to press print.

Music

We joined an online interactive session run by the Royal Opera House. It was great fun and we learned how to argue in song!

Science

Y2 carried out an investigation in science this week. We tested different materials for suitability. First we predicted which material was the most absorbent. We recorded our results in a table.

Book Talk

In Book Talk we have been annotating a text to help us sequence events in a story.

Literacy

On Friday we used our planning grid to support our independent writing of a newspaper recount. We included an opening paragraph and recounted the main events in chronological order in the past tense.

Art

Look at the fabulous map Y2 made together using felt. This is the second outcome from our Map it out! art project.

Science

In science, Y2 have been answering the question "Can I identify materials used in my local area?"

Computing

Y2 have started coding using Scratch. We all logged onto the laptops and opened Scratch. We will be getting better at creating out own character and programming it to move around the screen.

Today Y2 started a new Art project - Map it out! First we looked closely at maps and compared maps. Then we thought about our journey to school and created maps to show the route.

In Science, we have been comparing soaked beans and dry beans. We dissected some runner beans to find out what is inside them.

Year 2 loved celebrating Pentecost. They used their drawing skills to create a self portrait and then attached flames onto their heads. This symbolised the fact that we are all disciples of Jesus, receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Year 2 have loved exploring mark-marking as part of their 'Drawing' unit. 

To celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III, Year 2 learnt about the Union Jack and created their very own flags to wave!

Year 2 have been learning how to create rhythms to represent a safari, linked to their Geography topic of 'Life In Kenya'. They also learnt a traditional African call and response song called 'Che Che Kule'. They had great fun performing it!

Year 2 have been learning about how computers have evolved over the years since their invention. They ordered the different types of computers chronologically on a timeline.

Year 2 used xylophones to practice playing the famous motif from Beethoven's 'Symphony No. 5'. They then created their own simple motif.

Year 2 have been exploring two different pieces of music by composer Gustav Holst. They listened to the two pieces of music and then drew symbols, pictures and shapes to represent what they heard, thinking about the colours, shapes and atmosphere.

To celebrate International Women's Day, Year 2 have been focusing on learning about some different inspirational women from the past and present every day this week. They have learnt about their resilience and bravery and the impact they have had on the world. 

Planet Earth

Year 2 have loved learning all about Planet Earth in Geography. They have learnt about the 7 continents and 5 oceans and are learning lots of interesting facts about the different continents. 

In this topic, Year 2 have been learning about dynamics, timbre, tempo and motifs. This is all taught through the theme of space. Year 2 worked together to generate ideas of what sounds you might hear in space, and then used their voices and bodies to create a soundscape of space.

Year 2 have been exploring the special people in their lives who they love and can trust. They created their Super Squad just like Super Suzie!

Year 2 are loving reading 'James and the Giant Peach' this half term!

In response to our whole school Ash Wednesday service, the children in Year 2 made their Lentern Promises and displayed them on the classroom tree. 

In Science, Year 2 have been learning all about habitats. 

In RE, our topic is 'Thanksgiving'. We have explored what we are thankful for and the different ways we can say thank you. We then learnt about the story of the Last Supper and its significance. 

Year 2 loved learning about Islam. They learnt all about how Muslims pray at home and what life is like in a Muslim family.

In Maths, Year 2 have been learning all about Multiplication and Division in Maths.

In English, Year 2 have been working towards writing a non-chronological report all about the five oceans (linked to their Geography topic of 'Planet Earth').

Year 2 have been exploring the art form of sculpture. They made their own paper sculptures to experiment with using different materials to create art. They then created their own 'art gallery exhibition' to present their creations to the rest of the class.

In Book Talk, we have been reading 'Harry the Poisonous Centipede' by Lynne Reid Banks. We have been practising skills of retrieval, inference, prediction and sequencing. We have also been learning lots of new vocabulary and reading with fluency and expression.

In this unit, Year 2 are working towards creating their own stop-frame animation. They have been exploring how animations are created and discussing examples of popular animations. They have also experimented with this by creating their own flipbook. This has helped them to deepen their understanding of how animations are created by displaying a series of still images very quickly, making it look like they are moving. 

In our new unit ('On This Island': British Songs and Sounds) we learnt about the inter-related dimensions of music and how they underpin everything we do in Music:

• Duration
• Dynamics
• Pitch
• Structure
• Tempo
• Texture
• Timbre

We began the topic by learning some traditional British folk songs such as 'My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean', 'Lavender's Blue' and 'London Bridge Is Falling Down'. Then, we explored the sounds we might hear at the British seaside, using our voices and bodies to create a seaside soundscape.

The Great Fire of London

Year 2 have been learning all about the Great Fire of London. They have also been learning about what life was like in 1666. As well as this, they have been learning about how and why the fire started, why is spread so quickly and how life changed as a result of the fire.

We have been learning about Fitness in PE. We have been practicing star jumps, tuck jumps, heel flicks, lunges and sit ups.

Year 2 have been learning about how to add two 2-digit numbers with and without regrouping.

The children in Year 2 learnt about the significance of Remembrance Day and wrote acrostic poems to celebrate the many brave soldiers who have fought in wars.

In DT, Year 2 have been learning about Mechanisms. They are working towards making a moving storybook all about the Great Fire of London. They have been experimenting with using sliders and levers.

'Kings and Queens'

Year 2 linked their Collective Worship to their topic of 'Beginnings', celebrating the new beginnings in the world. For example, we discussed the Story of Creation or Jesus' birth as a beginning. We also talked about beginnings in our own lives, such as starting a new school/year group, moving house or getting a new baby brother or sister. We discussed the fact that new beginnings can be easy and exciting but they can also be difficult and scary sometimes. However, despite this, God is always there for us, watching over us and protecting us.

Important Information:

 Homework is due in every EVERY FRIDAY. Homework will usually consist of spellings, time tables practice, and either a SPaG, Maths or Reading Comprehension task. This must be completed on time please.

 There will be a spelling test EVERY THURSDAY and a times table test EVERY FRIDAY. 

 PE is on TUESDAYS this half term but we advise you to leave your PE kits in school all week as we may do PE more than once.

 Make sure you read every day in order to improve your reading skills and win prizes! Reading records will be collected and checked at the end of every week but please make sure you bring your reading book and reading record to school every day as we will be reading with you 1:1 regularly.

Any questions, please just ask.